EEDA Newsletter Vol 6, Res 11: Queer Time Capsule & Radical Book Rec
This is a public issue of Enthusiastic Encouragement & Dubious Advice. Feel free to share it!
Hi friends! I’m still overflowing from our trip to NYC. I’m so full of love and ideas and while I’m not necessarily full of energy, I have more than I did before the trip. On Sunday I went to a networking event for BIPOC women and femme entrepreneurs and creatives. It was really good and it was encouraging to be around like-minded people. Not a single whiff of competition in that room—everyone was centered on collaboration, connection, and uplifting. I don’t think I’ve been at a networking event with that vibe before but come to think of it, I haven’t been at a networking event solely for BIPOC women and femmes. Perhaps that is why. ‘Tis a mystery.
The night before we had dinner with one of my close friends then we went to see “Patti Lupone: Songs from a Hat” wherein there were thirty-five pieces of paper in a hat, each with a song on it that she loves to sing. It was incredibly fun.
Speaking of fun, we are so proud to be part of this upcoming art show called, Queer Time Capsule! It opens April 17 at the Petaluma Arts Center. This show explores queer memory, creativity, and resistance through photography, something I've written about in a previous newsletter issue. Sarah Deragon is the photographer behind Queer Time Capsule. If you know me, then you know I’ve been around a lot of photographers during my lifetime and so I’m saying this wholeheartedly: Sarah is an absolute joy to work with and a gosh darn delight to be around. You can follow her work on Instagram and here are a few more links:
Petaluma Arts Center (about this show specifically)
It’s another resource week! Sometimes I give you a lot of resources and sometimes just a couple. Today I have the spell slots for just one, really good one and it’s a book recommendation I first published with Book Riot:
Resource: Let This Radicalize You: Organizing and the Revolution of Reciprocal Care by Kelly Hayes and Mariame Kaba (Bookshop | Libro.fm | WorldCat aka a library near you)
Today’s book recommendation is a crucial read for these terrifying times. Feelings of isolation, hopelessness, confusion, and panic abound right now. This book does an amazing job of offering ideas for community, hope, and direction — all things that are desperately needed in this moment. This book had been on my TBR for a while. I finally gave it a read and I’m so glad I did. While not completely alleviating my despair, it has been a balm for sure.
Mariame Kaba is an educator, organizer, librarian, and prison industrial complex (PIC) abolitionist who has been doing this work for years. She is also the founder and director of Project NIA, a grassroots abolitionist organization focused on ending youth incarceration. Kelly Hayes is a Menominee author, organizer, movement educator, and host of Truthout's podcast Movement Memos. She co-founded the Lifted Voices collective and the Chicago Light Brigade.
While this book isn’t particularly long, it contains a wealth of information and insight. In this book are so many lessons learned from past (and continuing) struggles, including but not limited to lessons learned during the early parts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people are becoming increasingly familiar with things like mass protest and mutual aid but lack more than a surface-level understanding. Kaba and Hayes dive into the intricacies of truly connecting with community beyond the often one-way bullhorn of social media.
The rise of fascism has put many folks in a state of alarm and cynicism. The authors of this book rally against this, as often these negative states can keep us frozen and in a place of inaction. The authors cover how to do this, how to lean into the work and the people. It is so crucial that we care for each other and that no one is left behind. One of the lines in the dedication has stuck with me: “Everything worthwhile is done with other people.” This resonates so much. It is not the current horrors that have caused me to be emotional, but the small acts of care and kindness from coworkers, loved ones, and neighbors. Over and over again, this book speaks to how love and action will get us through, even while we collectively grieve.
Recent & Current Reads
Inclusion of a book in this section is not necessarily a recommendation and these books won’t necessarily be added to my Bookshop. Links are affiliate links.
Recently Read:
No New Things: A Radically Simple 30-Day Guide to Saving Money, the Planet, and Your Sanity by Ashlee Piper (out 4/15)
The Book of Alchemy: A Creative Practice for an Inspired Life by Suleika Jaouad (out 4/22)
Currently Reading:
Down in the Sea of Angels by Khan Wong (out 4/22)
Flirting Lessons by Jasmine Guillory
Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds by Adrienne Maree Brown
That’s it for this week! You can shop many books I’ve mentioned in this newsletter at my affiliate shop, The Infophile’s Bookshop, and support independent bookstores. In fact, any Bookshop, Amazon, or Etsy links in this newsletter are affiliate links so if you shop through those, it helps support my work. Or you can leave me a tip on Ko-fi, Paypal, or Venmo.
If you want to send me some snail mail, you can find me at P.O. Box 21481, Oakland, CA 94620-1481.
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